Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Words of Worship

by David Chadwick

When Zechariah wrote down, "His name is John," for all to see and read, he obeyed in specificity all the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. At that moment, something significant happened. Let's take a look.

"And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God" (Luke 1:64).

Immediately. What a powerful word! Not gradual, not slowly… immediately! Zechariah's act of obedience led to his immediate breakthrough. At that moment, he was able to speak again. And the words that poured forth blessed the one true God.

This might be one of my favorite stories in the Bible. The salvation of the Lord is so evident in the life of Zechariah. Did you notice how the last words spoken by Zechariah before becoming mute were words of unbelief and doubt, but the first words that he spoke after his tongue was loosened were words of faith that blessed God?

Over the nine months of silence, Zechariah learned his lesson! His fear turned to faith. Words of doubt into words of praise. Words of unbelief became words of worship. His hesitation became dedication.

What a profound transformation Zechariah had. He learned the power of words, praise, and worship. Because of Zechariah's willingness to yield to the transformative work of God in his life, his words and his actions would never be the same. He would be forever marked by an experience with the awesome power of an awesome God.

Zechariah had a deep appreciation for his prison of silence because it taught him to praise in ALL things. He understood like never before the power of his words. He learned to worship God no matter what the situation may be.

From prison to praise. From silence to worship. This story shows the greatness of our God!

This Christmas season, I would encourage you to practice praise. Learn to find words of worship.

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, choose to thank God.